Meconium is an odourless, thick, blackish green material first demonstrable in the foetal intestinal tract during the third month of gestation. Approximately 10-15% of deliveries are complicated by the passage of meconium around the time of delivery. The risk of meconium stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) is strongly correlated with gestational age. An adverse intrauterine environment with resultant foetal asphyxia is proposed as the most common explanation for MSAF.